Optimize Native Apps With A/B Tests

Allison Howen — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:00:00 GMT

Most Web workers know the importance of testing usability features when building a website, however, this same strategy should also be implemented when building mobile applications.

Luckily, a new service from mobile experience management (MEM) provider Artisan enables users to do just that. Artisan Optimize, which is the first available product from Artisan and currently in public beta, enables clients to test and modify the user experience of native mobile apps with no coding knowledge required. In fact, the Artisan platform enables non-technical marketers, publishers and merchants to manage, understand and enhance apps without having to resubmit them to app stores.

“The Artisan platform for Mobile Experience Management has come a long way in a very short time,” said CEO Bob Moul. “Early beta testers have now reached full production and are regularly updating their native apps to refine and improve the user experience. This is something that’s never been done before. Retailers, marketers and publishers are gaining unprecedented access not only to audience response, but also to the process of updating mobile apps in a real-time environment. Organizations have an opportunity to unleash the full potential of the mobile app experience, learning which app designs are most effective, and how to improve app development for the strongest performance results.”

Not only does Artisan Optimize enable clients to build and distribute A/B tests to users within an app’s existing audience base, but the platform also collects valuable data from individual app users. It is also important to note that the platform features a “click to install” SDK, which means that it is simple to integrate into applications.

General availability of the platform is expected to be released in the first quarter of 2013, and the company notes that future products will add more capabilities in order to create an environment where mobile experiences can be managed without having to write code, recompile or resubmit applications to app stores. Learn more about Artisan’s services that are scheduled to launch in 2013 below:

Artisan Analyze – This platform will enable clients to understand and track every page view and app event.

Artisan Create – Clients can use this service to design and build the user interface of new native mobile apps.

Artisan Personalize – This solution will give clients the ability to segment and target audiences with personalized app experiences.

Artisan Performance Management – Clients will be able to use this platform to monitor performance and adapt app delivery for the best user experience.

Google Chrome Demolishes App Divide

Michael Garrity — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 22:00:00 GMT

Google's powerful Web browser Chrome has unveiled a release that brings us all a little closer to univseral Web development.

The release came with two new technologies: Web Audio API, a feature that brings some advanced audio capabilities to JavaScript, and Native Client, which allows for execution of C and C++ code within the browser. Oh, and it also seemingly erases the divide between Web and native apps.

Originally, these features had been released on the beta channel back in August, but they are now a prominent part of the Chrome experience.

Web Audio API will help developers add in audio effects to JavaScript programming that will allow them to have a little more fun with "cool" sounds, as opposed to just playing back simple files. These only appear on browsers that support Web Audio API.

It's safe to say that most developers are going to be more interested in the offical release of Native Client, which makes it possible for all Chrome users to run applications that have been written in either C or C++ securely inside their browser. It works through the use of an API Google calls "Pepper" that provides HTML5 bindings for C and C++. When Native Client apps use Pepper, they will be provdied with a set of interfaces that equip them with the necessary bindings, allowing developers to leverage their proficiency and knowledge of the native code and pump out portable, high performance Web apps.

Google says that they have plans to eventually make Native Client available to other browers as a plugin. This could pave the way for cloud-based applications to execute desktop-level codes that could be run on Google Chrome, more or less eradicating the line between Web/cloud and desktop applications.

In addtion to these two major overhauls, Google's update also presents some improvements for Mac OS X Lion users, which, as I'm sure they'll tell you, isn't the most Chrome-friendly OS available. These include fixing crash bugs and adding some "visual polish," like the new Lion scrollbars and support for full-screen mode.

'Net Features : native apps

Optimize Native Apps With A/B Tests

Google Chrome Demolishes App Divide